X

Leonard Nimoy: A look back at his fascinating life (pictures)

Nimoy, who died Friday at 83, was an actor, filmmaker, writer and artist, but there's no denying he'll always be remembered as Mr. Spock.

Anne Dujmovic
Anne Dujmovic was a senior editor at CNET. Her areas of focus included the climate crisis, democracy and inclusive language. She believes in the power of great journalism and art, and the magic of tardigrades.
Anne Dujmovic
gettyimages161468732.jpg
1 of 10 Photo by CBS via Getty Images

Leonard Nimoy, who died Friday at 83, was an actor, filmmaker, writer and artist, but there's no denying he will always be remembered for his role as the half-human, half-Vulcan Mr. Spock on "Star Trek." This still is from the episode "Charlie X,"  which first aired in September 1966.

Related stories
-"Actor Leonard Nimoy, 'Mr. Spock,' dies at 83"

-"'What would Spock do?' How Leonard Nimoy helped me prosper"

gettyimages461636784.jpg
2 of 10 Photo by CBS via Getty Images

From left: William Shatner as Kirk, Nimoy, and James Doohan as Scotty have their hands full in the iconic episode "The Trouble With Tribbles," which aired in the second season.

Related stories
-"Actor Leonard Nimoy, 'Mr. Spock,' dies at 83"

-"'What would Spock do?' How Leonard Nimoy helped me prosper"

gettyimages146206812.jpg
3 of 10 CBS Photo Archive

Set your phasers to stun. DeForest Kelley as McCoy and Nimoy in "A Piece of the Action," which aired in 1968, season 2.

One of Nimoy's oft-repeated lines as Spock was simply the word "fascinating."

Related stories
-"Actor Leonard Nimoy, 'Mr. Spock,' dies at 83"

-"'What would Spock do?' How Leonard Nimoy helped me prosper"

gettyimages162770343.jpg
4 of 10 Photo by CBS via Getty Images

In the episode "The Way to Eden," which first aired in 1969, Deborah Downey and  Nimoy make music together.

 The actor in later years wrote poetry and became a fine-art photographer, and had books published of his work.

Related stories
-"Actor Leonard Nimoy, 'Mr. Spock,' dies at 83"

-"'What would Spock do?' How Leonard Nimoy helped me prosper"

gettyimages73908521.jpg
5 of 10 Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Nimoy, in fact, did make music too. In 1968, the actor sang on "The Dick Clark Show."

He released a handful of albums, which included -- famously or infamously -- "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins," "If I Had a Hammer" and "Proud Mary."

Related stories
-"Actor Leonard Nimoy, 'Mr. Spock,' dies at 83"

-"'What would Spock do?' How Leonard Nimoy helped me prosper"

gettyimages151443252.jpg
6 of 10 CBS Photo Archive

After "Star Trek," Nimoy starred in the TV series "Mission Impossible" from 1969-71. (He's shown here with Lee Meriweather.)

The actor, who followed other artistic pursuits over the years, will always be most closely linked to his role on "Star Trek."

Nimoy wrote a couple of autobiographies, one titled “I Am Not Spock,” which came out in 1977, and “I Am Spock,” published in 1995.

Related stories
-"Actor Leonard Nimoy, 'Mr. Spock,' dies at 83"

-"'What would Spock do?' How Leonard Nimoy helped me prosper"

gettyimages78305993.jpg
7 of 10 Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Nimoy, DeForest Kelley (second from right) and William Shatner  (far right) with Gene Roddenberry and director Robert Wise (seated) on the set of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," which was released in the US in December 1979.

Nimoy directed two movies in the franchise, "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home." He also directed TV shows and the hit movie "Three Men and a Baby."

Related stories
-"Actor Leonard Nimoy, 'Mr. Spock,' dies at 83"

-"'What would Spock do?' How Leonard Nimoy helped me prosper"

284702maingpn-2000-001363full.jpg
8 of 10 NASA

Nimoy (in white pants) joined the "Star Trek" cast and NASA officials in 1976 at the rollout of the space shuttle Enterprise.

The outpouring Friday on social media following Nimoy's death showed the influence that he and the series had on people, including employees at a particular space agency.

NASA tweeted Friday: "RIP Leonard Nimoy. So many of us at NASA were inspired by Star Trek. Boldly go..."

Related stories
-"Actor Leonard Nimoy, 'Mr. Spock,' dies at 83"

-"'What would Spock do?' How Leonard Nimoy helped me prosper"

gettyimages1432444.jpg
9 of 10 Photo by Michel Boutefeu/Getty Images

In 2002 in Los Angeles, an exhibit featured Nimoy's  photography from his book "Shekhina," a series of black-and-white erotic images that caused controversy in the Jewish community.

Related stories
-"Actor Leonard Nimoy, 'Mr. Spock,' dies at 83"

-"'What would Spock do?' How Leonard Nimoy helped me prosper"

gettyimages474772381.jpg
10 of 10 Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Nimoy, who had a role in the J.J. Abrams "Star Trek" reboot  and the sequel "Star Trek Into Darkness," demonstrates Spock's Vulcan salute. Nimoy said he came up with the idea, basing it on "the kohanic blessing, a manual approximation of the Hebrew letter shin, which is the first letter in Shaddai, one of the Hebrew names for God," according to The New York Times.

As Spock might say, Nimoy lived long and prospered.

Related stories
-"Actor Leonard Nimoy, 'Mr. Spock,' dies at 83"

-"'What would Spock do?' How Leonard Nimoy helped me prosper"

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos